By Madeline Klein on December 10, 2021 in Life Hacks
It’s the holiday season, so you’ve probably had your fair share of wrapping – just presents, not cars! Let’s dip into all things car wrapping to give you a holiday-stress-hiatus.
What is car wrapping?
If you’re familiar with car wrapping, go ahead and jump to the next section. If you’re not, no stress at all – we are going to break it down (and unfortunately, we don’t mean dancing). To say it simply, car wrapping is a way to customize your ride, like repainting.
Car and Driver says, “A car wrap consists of several huge vinyl decals that are applied to every panel of your car – the hood, doors, fenders, roof, decklid, and bumper covers…None of your vehicle’s original color will show anywhere on the outside. In that sense, a wrap acts just like a paint job.”
You can think of it as a super durable customized sticker that covers all the painted parts of your car. Since it covers all painted surfaces, it can actually protect your original paint. However, if there are dings or dents on your ride before applying the wrap, those are sometimes made more obvious post-wrap. So, be sure to get those fixed or touched up before you take your ride in for the wrap!
A couple things to note:
- Colorful – The world is your oyster. You can actually make the car the color of the inside of an oyster, or any normal color you’d prefer!
- Temporary – Car wraps are easy to remove. All you have to do is peel it off! Plus, this makes it a good option for leased vehicles.
- Customizable – Since they’re all unique – you can choose to just wrap a certain part of the car if you’re adding a business logo or specific element.
How much does it cost to wrap a car?
Now it’s time to dive into the financials. JD Power tells us a couple of elements that cause the price to vary – make and model of the car, vinyl hue, any modifications to the body, and parts of the car to be wrapped.
Using these factors, JD Power estimates:
- Compact car or coupe: Starting at ~ $2,000
- Family sedan: ~ $3,000
- Compact crossover: Starting at ~ $3,500
- Full size SUV: Starting at ~ $4,000
- Luxury sports car: Ranging from $5,000-10,000+
While these prices might seem intimidating, we’re here to remind you that a) prices vary based on who you choose to do the service and your specific vehicle and b) it’s an incredibly tedious and technical process that will look better if done by someone with experience.
Conclusion
Want to switch up your ride’s look? Depending on your budget, car wrapping might be a solid option. You can choose random colors that you won’t see in standard paint or customize only specific elements of your car. Overall, be sure to get a couple of quotes before to ensure you get a good deal and choose a company you trust!